One of Russias priorities in improving quality of life and ensuring economic growth in the Far Eastern Federal District is the creation of a favourable investment climate and ensuring that businesses in the region have quicker access to Asia-Pacific markets. Advanced Special Economic Zones and Vladivostok Free Port are, as zones with special regulatory regimes, the primary tools to achieve this goal. At the current time, the mechanisms used to implement these tools are in need of feedback from all sections of the population as a way of optimizing the work of the relevant development institutions in the Russian Far East. In addition, youth entrepreneurship is viewed as an important driver of the Far Eastern economy. Consequently, the government is taking steps to encourage businesspeople to take advantage of the existing support mechanisms, such as the aforementioned Advanced Special Economic Zones and Vladivostok Free Port. How do young people assess the efforts the government is making in this area? How can participation among young people be widened in implementing the concept of Advanced Special Economic Zones and Vladivostok Free Port? What steps need to be taken to improve these special regulatory regimes?

The Northern Sea Route is the shortest sea route from Asia to Europe, and experts estimate that by 2050 it will be passable for non-ice reinforced vessels all year round. Taking this into consideration, it is strategically advisable at this point to begin developing the Northern Sea Route for purposes other than simply the transport of natural resources from the Arctic zone, or northern deliveries. In 2016, a model for establishing a regular Arctic container line using the Northern Sea Route was developed. The niche which will be filled by the Northern Sea Route relates to container cargo transit between the ports of North-East Asia (China, Japan, and South Korea) and those of Northern Europe (Rotterdam, Hamburg, and others), which is preferable to a southern route. Around 455,000 TEUs of container cargo traffic currently have transit paths for which use of the Northern Sea Route would provide a significant advantage to the shipper. An optimal logistics scheme has been developed for a regular Arctic container line: transit will be conducted between two port hubs in the cities of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and Murmansk using ice-class container ships, with additional feeder lines to end-ports in Europe or Asia. How can participation in the joint development of the Northern Sea Route be made attractive to China, Japan, and South Korea? Would there be merit in establishing a joint venture to manage a regular Arctic container line? How can competitive conditions for container cargo transit via the Northern Sea Route be ensured? Could investment in Northern Sea Route infrastructure be made profitable in the long term?

In 2017, India made its first investments in the Russian Far East outside the oil and gas sector, and the first phase of a RussianIndian cooperative venture to establish a diamond and jewellery cluster in Vladivostok is now beginning. A number of Indian companies are at an advanced stage of decision-making about investing in machine building and oil and gas extraction. Even so, business leaders from the two countries recognize that there is huge untapped potential for bilateral investment cooperation in the Russian Far East. India and Russia are ready to work together to increase their trade and economic cooperation in the Russian Far East, taking the necessary steps to achieve this and making available special conditions and incentives. In particular, as of 1 August 2017, Indian citizens can take advantage of a simplified visa regime and enter Vladivostok Free Port on an electronic visa. This will have a direct impact on the development of RussianIndian cooperation in the Russian Far East and the flow of tourists from India into the region. What projects are Indian companies already implementing in the Russian Far East, and what is the key to their success? What mechanisms and solutions could act as a catalyst for the growth of Indian investment in the Russian Far East and mutual trade? In which sectors does RussianIndian investment cooperation have the greatest potential? What changes need to be made to the regulation of these sectors to make them attractive for Indian investors?

New points of economic growth in the Russian Far East will not provide the anticipated effect if we do not simultaneously ensure the comprehensive development of the areas surrounding them  this includes building housing, nurseries, schools, healthcare facilities, and cultural centres. Initial experience relating to a new government approach to comprehensive urban development in the Russian Far East comes in the form of long-term plans to develop the towns of Komsomolsk-on-Amur (Khabarovsk Territory) and Svobodny (Amur Region). These focus the efforts of all key agencies and state companies on creating a qualitatively new environment in these towns, including a comfortable and accessible social, utilities, transport, and energy infrastructure and modern public spaces. What have been the initial results of applying this new approach to urban development in the Russian Far East? What new solutions and tools must be implemented at the federal level in order to ensure the comprehensive development of towns in the Russian Far East? In which other towns in the Russian Far East will urban development be prioritized as a task of federal importance?

The Russian Far East is home to 51% of forest resources in the Asia-Pacific region. Of some 90 million cubic metres of timber available for processing, however, only 16 million cubic metres, or 18%, are harvested. Around 75% of timber is exported in the form of logs; only 25% is processed into lumber and plywood. As for waste and substandard timber, this is permanently lost. In 2016, Vnesheconombank announced the creation of a forestry cluster in the Russian Far East, and in 2017 a major Chinese investor declared their interest in constructing a pulp mill. In which regions of the Russian Far East would investment in forestry bring the most gain? How can a forestry cluster and a complete cycle of timber processing be established in the Russian Far East? What solutions must the government provide in order for this to be achieved? Could raising duties on log exports assist in the development of deep processing enterprises? What impact will the construction of a pulp mill have on the sector regionally?

The sociological surveys indicate that healthcare issues are a primary cause of concern among residents of the Russian Far East. Many indicators in this area are worse than the Russian average. The healthcare gap between the region and neighbouring countries is greater still. In order to respond to this challenge, the healthcare system of the Russian Far East must make primary healthcare equally accessible to the urban and rural population, attract a qualified medical workforce, implement innovative methods for organizing primary care and the prevention and treatment of diseases, and create a new healthcare infrastructure. This will require a special government approach to planning healthcare development in the Russian Far East. What are the priorities for healthcare development in the Russian Far East in order to achieve the goals of increasing the population and life expectancy of the region? In what areas could the Russian Far East become a driver of innovative development in Russian healthcare? In what ways is healthcare cooperation with neighbouring countries currently developing? What is the Russian Ministry of Healthcare doing to ensure advanced healthcare development in the Russian Far East?

Despite the frenetic pace of development in Asia-Pacific countries, the social and economic growth of important regions is being held back by an inadequate or non-existent supply of energy. To a certain extent, this issue is being addressed by diesel power stations, although the high cost of fuel, including delivery, results in high electricity prices, while diesel facilities already in operation are harmful to the environment. Building power lines for a small number of consumers is not economically viable. At the same time, modernizing existing forms of electricity generation (or creating new ones) which make use of renewable energy sources  primarily solar and wind energy  would significantly decrease the cost of electricity, reduce atmospheric emissions, and create a solution which could be applied to numerous remote, isolated areas. For Russia, this is an issue of great importance: around 20 million people (13.7% of the population) live in regions with a decentralized energy supply. Russia already has experience of building autonomous hybrid solar-diesel and wind-diesel power plants, primarily in the Sakha Republic, the Altai Republic, and the Transbaikal region. Refining these facilities further would, however, require international cooperation, both in terms of manufacturing components and mechanisms, and in helping to develop remote regions. What measures should be implemented in Asia-Pacific countries in order to realize the potential of renewable energy to provide remote regions with an electricity supply? What is the potential for international cooperation between the countries of the Asia-Pacific region in this field? How can existing solutions for remote and isolated regions based on renewable energy sources be applied to third countries in the Asia-Pacific region?

By 2025, 100,000 new jobs are projected to be created at new enterprises in the Russian Far East, and 70% of them will be for qualified specialists. It will be impossible to fill these positions using only the regions existing workforce, however. The government has proposed a programme to attract specialists from other regions; nonetheless, the scale and conditions of these proposals are indicative of the need to adopt new measures aimed at attracting staff and creating a new system to train and retrain specialists in accordance with the employers requirements. What is the status and what are the development trends of the employment market in the Russian Far East? How is the government helping to attract more people to come and work in the region? How will labour mobility programme 2.0 measures stimulate migration to the region? Is job rotation a potential way to lay down roots?

Current and projected energy demand in the Asia-Pacific region is enormous. At the same time, in many countries of the region it is precisely a lack of access to energy, which is acting as a brake on continued high growth rates. The launch of huge international energy projects is a key global trend. Projects like these help to address the disparity in access to energy resources, to calm price volatility, and to achieve political stability and regional economic development. To ensure comprehensive integration of these projects and to create a new configuration of connected energy networks, it is essential to set up a single technological platform for the electricity grid. Digital transformation, standardization, and ensuring a new level of energy security are all vital conditions for this. These challenges create a far-reaching opportunity to carry out scientific research in the field of electricity transmission, to establish new standards for managing a new-generation network, to ensure the integration of different sources of generation and smart users, and to provide cyber security. Science could become a key driver behind the creation of a platform for integrated energy networks in North-East Asia. The establishment of an Asian super-ring connecting Russia, China, Japan, South Korea, Mongolia, and possibly additional countries has the potential to solve many of the problems threatening sustainable development in the region, and could lead to enduring, mutually beneficial collaboration, not only in energy, but in a number of other sectors as well. What regulatory changes are necessary in order for such a project to be realized? Do the economic implications surrounding existing electricity transmission technologies make projects to integrate energy networks in North-East Asia viable, or is it vital to invent new, ground-breaking technologies? To what extent should technological solutions for integrated energy networks be standardized? What is the economic viability of implementing such a project, and what financial models have been used to implement similar projects?

New conditions for doing business in the Russian Far East are increasingly attracting the interest of small companies. Last year the number of projects in ASEZs and Vladivostok Free Port with a total investment of between RUB 1 million and RUB 60 million has increased from 80 to 300. A programme of tax credits for small and medium-sized businesses has been launched in the Russian Far East. Nearly 300 business owners have received tax funds to aid their development. What adjustments need to be made to the ASEZ and Free Port regimes in order to make them more attractive to small and medium-sized companies? What can the government do to help small businesses in the Russian Far East access the large Asia-Pacific market? What else can be done to make concessional financing available to small and medium-sized businesses? What is the greatest obstacle to the growth of small and medium-sized businesses in the Russian Far East?

People residing in the Russian Far East place housing-related problems as one of their top concerns. The cost of housing and utility services in the Russian Far East is significantly higher than the national average, although the quality is lower. A large proportion of available housing is dilapidated or even hazardous. The unsatisfactory housing situation is one of the major factors driving people to leave the region for more comfortable conditions in other parts of the country. By modernizing urban infrastructure, demographic and socioeconomic development in the Russian Far East could get a significant new boost. The appearance and comfort levels of towns and cities in this region have become an important factor in the competition for human capital, especially when it comes to the most active sector of the population  young specialists. It is for this reason that in 2017, ensuring high-quality housing and utility services for the population and creating a comfortable urban environment were added to the list of priority areas for strategic national development. What will be done in the Russian Far East to implement this priority project for developing housing, utilities, and the urban environment? What conditions must be created in order to attract investment into housing in the Russian Far East, including from countries in the Asia-Pacific region? What conditions are needed to enable integrated development and management of the housing and utilities infrastructure in the macroregion? How will the mortgage sector develop in the Russian Far East? What is being done by Russias Ministry of Construction, Housing and Utilities to develop the residential sector?

State companies are making a significant contribution to forward-looking development in the Russian Far East. A key objective for these companies, aside from profitability, is solving the challenges faced by the state. One such challenge is improving the quality of life of inhabitants of the Russian Far East. Many of Russias leading state companies are currently implementing specialized solutions in the region. Will Aeroflots so-called flat tariff on destinations in the Russian Far East be maintained and extended? What other measures can the company offer to support the mobility of people in the region? Has the Agencys for Housing Mortgage Lending (AHML) lowering rates on mortgage programmes for residents of the Russian Far East proven effective? In what other ways could the organization ensure affordable housing in the Russian Far East as part of this programme? How can Rostelecom help to eliminate the digital divide in the Russian Far East? What else can other state companies do to accelerate development in the region?

The sea ports of the Russian Far East connect Russia logistically with the countries of the Asia-Pacific region and compete for trade flows in this rapidly growing part of the world. Vladivostok Free Port was established to create globally competitive conditions for their development. Planning for the Free Port took into consideration best international practices in the creation of free port zones, as well as Russias own experience of developing the free port system. Investors in Vladivostok Free Port receive tax incentives and benefit from preferential administrative policies. A system of 24-hour state border crossing points operates within the Free Port, together with a single-window service, electronic declaration and shortened customs clearance times, and a simplified visa entry regime for foreign citizens (using eight-day electronic visas). Vladivostok Free Port is now home to more than 300 investors, and more than 20 new enterprises have been launched. How do residents of the Free Port rate the success of this modern approach? What economic effect are the conditions having on new enterprises? How can the unified tax for Free Port residents and related administrative burden on business be shifted? What adjustments are needed to the free customs zone regime within Vladivostok Free Port? What effect will electronic visas for foreign citizens have on investors? Is extending the free port regime to all ports and airports in the Russian Far East a necessary step?

Asia today is growing ever more self-reliant, and, accordingly, more closed-off externally and more open and competitive internally as a market. Other EAEU countries can gain access to this market via the Russian Far East. To safeguard its own interests to the greatest extent possible, it is important for the region to take on a proactive role, cooperating with the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) in two key international areas of its activity in the coming years: coupling together the EAEU and the Belt and Road initiative, and concluding free trade agreements with partners in the Asia-Pacific region. The Russian Far East is the part of both Russia and the Eurasian Economic Union, which is situated directly in the Asia-Pacific region, and taking its interests into consideration is vital when building a long-term format for relations with countries of the region. What needs does the Russian Far East have with respect to integration processes in the Asia-Pacific region? How far are the parties prepared to go on the question of creating a free trade zone? To what extent would this be in the interests of the Russian Far East? Could the coupling be open for other regional partners to join? Where do participants view a role for the institutions of the EAEU, and where can there be bilateral tracks within the coupling? How can investment in the Russian Far East be stimulated using free trade zones?

Today, the development of space-related activities and rapid progress in the field of applied space systems and research have created a solid foundation for intensifying international cooperation in this area. These trends are emerging most clearly in the Asia-Pacific region. What kinds of areas of space-related activity are of particular interest for cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region? How may regional international organizations assist in identifying and advancing large-scale, multilateral space projects?

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